U.S. Senator John Thune announced today that he will seek a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate. The announcement … More
Author: sodakgovs
In SD, US Senators have never just retired
This morning, Tom Lawrence has an excellent historical article, looking at U.S. Senator John Thune’s upcoming decision as to whether … More
The Over 25 Club: SD’s longest-serving state officials
Updated to reflect the results of the 2022, 2024 and 2026 elections and the death of Senator Tim Johnson. Public … More
Bob Dole, “South Dakota’s third senator,” dies
The news breaks that Bob Dole died this morning. Dole, a World War II hero, was a major figure in … More
Haugaard takes on Noem, and history
The news today reports that Steven G. Haugaard will challenge Governor Kristi Noem in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. The … More
Impeachment in South Dakota
On November 9, the South Dakota State Legislature will meet in special session to consider the impeachment of Attorney General … More
Gov. Farrar to lie in state
The Office of Governor Kristi Noem today that former Gov. Frank Farrar, who died on October 31, will lie in … More
Gov. Wollman remembers Gov. Farrar
Bob Mercer has a nice interview on KELOLAND.com with former Governor Harvey Wollman, remembering his longtime friendship with former Governor … More
Terry Woster on Jim Soyer
Colleagues, friends, and family gathered today in Sioux Falls to bid a final farewell to Jim Soyer, a former chief … More
Jean Rounds: SD loses a true “First Lady”
South Dakotans were very sad to learn that Jean Rounds, former First Lady and wife of U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, … More
Gov. Frank Farrar 1929-2021
Frank Leroy Farrar, twenty-fourth Governor of South Dakota, has died. The former governor passed away early this morning in Rochester, … More
Jim Soyer: A Life of Service
Jim Soyer, a former chief of staff to Gov. Bill Janklow and longtime Governor’s Office staffer, has passed away. Jim … More
Special Legislative Sessions in South Dakota
The South Dakota State Legislature has met in special session thirty-one times. Twenty-seven times, the special session was called by … More
Janklow on 9/11
“There will be no nonsense tolerated by anybody.” Gov. Bill Janklow, as quoted by the Associated Press on September 18, … More
Remembering Les Jensen
Word came this morning that Les Jensen, son of Gov. Leslie Jensen, has passed away. Les, who was 90, was … More
Carv Thompson 1932-2021
The Governor’s Office announced today that flags will fly half staff at the State Capitol on August 28, 2021 in … More
Convention keynotes in 1974 had White House futures
Sometimes, the study of history can lead to unexpected discoveries. Tonight, I was looking back to South Dakota newspapers from … More
Farewell to David Lust
The sad news broke this afternoon that David E. Lust has died. He was only 53. Lust, was an Aberdeen … More
Presidential visits to South Dakota (updated)
Fifteen sitting presidents have made a total of twenty-eight visits to South Dakota. Since South Dakota became a state in 1889, … More
Ranking the Presidents, 2021
Today C-SPAN released its fourth presidential historians survey. The survey follows C-SPAN’s earlier surveys of presidential greatness, which were run … More
Trail of Governors gallery
The Trail of Governors in Pierre was initiated in 2011, with its first statues unveiled in 2012. This slideshow includes … More
Sheldon, Crawford and Gunderson join Trail of Governors
This morning, the Trail of Governors unveiled new statues of Charles H. Sheldon, 2nd Governor of South Dakota; Carl Gunderson, … More
2021 Trail of Governors preview
This Friday, the Trail of Governors in Pierre will unveil and place three new statues. The unveiling is at 10 … More
On the lookout for biographies of SD governors
Biographies of South Dakota governors admittedly fill a niche-market. They are unlikely to sell millions of copies like John Adams, win … More
W. J. Bulow’s autobiography in print
This week, South Dakota History published its Spring 2021 edition. The edition is made up almost entirely of a 20,000 … More
Humphrey’s politics started in South Dakota
Hubert H. Humphrey Jr. is a well-known figure in American history. The liberal Minnesota icon first gained national prominence when, … More
Term Limits and Dick Kneip
When South Dakota became a state in 1889, the state constitution included no term limits on the Governor or on … More
Historic milestones Biden achieves
Every election offers a new opportunity for “firsts” and other milestones. Four years ago, this blog wrote about the many milestones … More
Janklow and Oswald
The previous post, about Dakota Territorial Governor William Howard’s brush with the Lincoln assassination, reminded me of a fascinating story … More
Howard and Lincoln
William A. Howard is little-remembered today but he very nearly was a witness to one the most pivotal events in … More
Party floor leaders in the SD Legislature
This post was originally written in November 2018 and was revised following the caucus leadership elections in November 2020, and … More
Farewell to Justin Cronin
Former state legislator Justin Cronin of Gettysburg died yesterday, much too soon, at the age of 40. Cronin had served … More
Presidential comebacks
Americans living today have never seen a former president seek a return to the Oval Office. The two-term limit is … More
Women reach all-time high as SD Legislature most Republican in decades
The 2020 election results are in and, as expected, Republicans have maintained control of both the State Senate and the … More
A big win for Dusty Johnson
To no one’s great surprise, first-term Congressman Dusty Johnson, a Republican, was easily reelected on Tuesday night. Johnson, after all, … More
Mike Rounds on a historic path
Mike Rounds was reelected to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, handily winning a second term against Democratic challenger Dan Ahlers. … More
2020 Election Preview
This Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. Every election makes history, and this blog has written several blog posts looking … More
Partisan control of the South Dakota State Legislature
This is an update of a post written prior to the 2016 general election. It was updated prior to the … More
Mike Rounds and the biggest U.S. Senate wins
Update: Unofficial election results indicate that Rounds was reelected with 65.7% of the vote, placing him fifth all-time among U.S. … More
Will Trump keep the Rushmore State red?
This is an update of a post written prior to the 2016 election. Unofficial election results indicate Trump/Pence carried South … More
Will the SD GOP winning streak continue in 2020?
This is an update of a post that was written prior to the 2018 general election. The 2020 election marks … More
Jean Hunhoff the SD Legislature’s longest-serving woman
Updated to reflect results of the 2020, 2022 and 2024 general elections – the article now assumes that those elected … More
Ironman Farrar sets another record
Frank Farrar, who was Governor of South Dakota from 1969-71, has in the years since become known for completing triathlons … More
Mark Meierhenry exits the scene
Former Attorney General Mark Meierhenry died on July 29, 2020. Meierhenry was a colorful figure in South Dakota’s political history. … More
Presidential visits to Rushmore
On July 3, President Donald J. Trump visited Mount Rushmore to attend an Independence Day program that will feature fireworks … More
More Tributes to John E. Miller
Dr. John E. Miller’s death on May 1 is being felt across the South Dakota history community. Several nice articles … More
Jon Lauck remembers John Miller
Jon Lauck wrote the following and posted it on his Facebook page. With his permission I am posting it here … More
In memory of John E. Miller
Dr. John E. Miller died today at age 75. Dr. Miller was a longtime professor of history at South Dakota … More
Will Dusty be unopposed in November?
(Post updated May 13, 2020 to reflect filing deadlines.) Pending the result of the June Republican primary, Congressman Dusty Johnson … More
“First Lady Gown Collection” to add the state’s first “First Gentleman”
A longstanding feature of the South Dakota State Capitol is the “First Lady Gown Collection.” The collection, which features a … More
